


Hidden Depths

by TheDarkFlygon



Series: The Agenda [3]
Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Medical School, Pre-Canon, Secrets, Short One Shot, Trans Derek, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Early on in his med school years, Derek discovers his friend knows more than he could have guessed.It's, to his surprise, not an issue.
Relationships: Tyler Chase & Derek Stiles
Series: The Agenda [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628578
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Hidden Depths

**Author's Note:**

> Spreadin' the Agenda with a plot bunny idea I got. I'm gonna end up making it into a series at this point lmao  
> And we stan a supportive (but sneaky) Tyler because I decided he'd be like this. I'm sorry for repetitive stories haha, I guess this just needs to exit my blood at long last.

It’s the end of the day and it sure feels like so. His chest hurts and, if he doesn’t get back to his place soon, he may forget what oxygen tastes like. Plus, if he wants to study for the next exams and not flunk them like he’s almost done before (and he doesn’t want to ask someone else for the answers to them again, it’s time he becomes a good student and doesn’t just try with his dodgy attention span and flunky memory).

All he’s got to do is get out of this school, go to the bus stop, maybe try liberating his lungs for a little bit and survive the trip to his place. He can take the elevator to the fifth floor if it’s not broken (which, let’s be fair, with his luck, it’s possible it’s magically broken just to annoy him). It’ll be all fine.

“Hey, Derek, wait for me!”

Tyler’s voice immediately makes him stop in his tracks as the blond man runs towards him, tapping on his shoulder with an energic hand.

“You need something?” He asks, startled and breathless all of the same.

“Nah, I just wanted to walk home together. Is that fine with you? I think we live in the same dorm.”

“Oh, huh… That’s fine by me,” Derek finds himself replying, before wondering if it’s really a good idea. How many hours has it been, by now? More than eight, most likely. He’s lost track of time because of how busy the day was. It doesn’t help that he’s terrible at remembering hours.

At first, Tyler seems more than happy about it, until his expression changes for a more doubtful one. He rubs his chin.

“Hey, pal, are you sure you’re up to it?” Has Tyler ever spoken seriously to him? That tone feels almost foreign. “You sound a little weird.”

Okay, time to quickly calculate something. He can’t say no to his one friend in this wretched place and refusing now would only raise suspicion. Still, that doesn’t make the situation any better, since his chest is screaming for him to bring it some well-deserved relief. How could be possibly synchronize both sides of the issue when everything seems to tear them further and further away from each other?

Hey, he does have a hoodie on him, in his bag. It’s a little too warm in here for him to be wearing it inside, but if they’re walking home or waiting at the bus stop, then it should be fine, right? It should be just baggy enough not to reveal anything suspicious. He can only pray it doesn’t, at least, now. God, Derek, when will you stop putting yourself in that kind of ridiculous situations?

“Mind if I go to the bathroom first?” He asks trying to feign complete ignorance. Truth be told, he doesn’t need to use it for any “traditional” reason, so his voice must sound fake. He knows he’s a terrible liar.

“Oh, yeah, sure, go for it. I’ll be waiting here,” Tyler replies, not without some doubt in his tone.

“Thanks, I’ll be right back.”

That’s not entirely true. He’s used to quickly changing in and out, especially in very narrow spaces like the men’s bathroom; but that doesn’t mean he won’t be taking some time compared to a simple trip there. At least, and much to his fortune, there are a couple empty stalls.

As always, his brain somewhat blanks out when he has to give his lungs their full capacity to pull air in and out of his body. He stares at the ceiling, the tags on the walls around him or the even the toilet he’s pretending to use at the moment; just never the ground as, to his chagrin and upmost frustration, there’s something in the way he really doesn’t need to see. Or, if he really likes the floor, he can stare at his glasses disgracefully lying there until he’s finished putting himself back together.

He quickly puts them back on his nose and slips into his hoodie, incredibly annoyed by the slight bump that shouldn’t be there. To seal the deal and hide his dirty secrets, he flushes the toilet down (sorry for the useless water consumption, by the way) and washes his hands.

Sure enough, Tyler’s still here when he comes back, waving at him with a smile. They join back together and make their way out of the building, mutually venting about whatever crap the day has put them through. He tries focusing on their conversation so he can ignore how horrible it feels to be out in the open without his breast plate to protect himself.

“Say, Derek,” Tyler suddenly asks as they’ve gone past most of the people. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for some time by now.”

The serious tone is back. Can they go back to light-hearted jokes and terrible puns, please?

“What is it?”

“You’re always out of breath by the end of the day. Why’s that?”

Shit. That’s one hell of an armour-piercing question.

“Ah…” Derek instinctively crosses his arms over his chest, as if he wasn’t busted already. “It’s that, huh…”

He’s struggling to come up with a credible half-truth. He’s not asthmatic, he’s not sick with a bronchitis, huh… Huh… Ah, maybe that, if he could focus on his lessons for longer than thirty seconds he’d know more ailments that could cause chronic dyspnoea!

“Actually, there’s something else,” Tyler continues. “Little things here and there.”

There are shivers going down his spine and cold sweats coursing down his temples.

“It’s that… What kind of things are we talking about here? I know I look scrawny, but I promise you, I do eat enough, I’m not—”

Tyler mischievously smiles at him, eyes almost closed.

“Let’s just say you’re as bad at lying as you are at hiding stuff before people come to your place.”

Oh fuck. He’s busted. He’s so busted, busted to hell and back, busted from Jupiter. Goodbye credibility, goodbye stealth comfort.

“If I was you, I wouldn’t bind for more than eight hours. Makes your chest sore.”

“W-what are you…”

“But y’know that already, don’t you?”

“How did you—”

Tyler chuckles, seemingly more amused than disgusted at anything. God, he feels like he’s been fiddled with.

“As I said, Derek, you’re terrible at hiding stuff in your place. All I had to do is connecting the dots.”

“And you don’t…”

“I don’t what?”

“Don’t… mind, or anything like that?”

His friend’s expression darkens tremendously. Maybe he did like feeling pranked, in comparison to whatever that stare is for.

“Dude, do you even listen to yourself? In what world would I ‘mind’ that? It’s your business, your pain, not mine. I’m just trying to look out for you because, not gonna lie, you’re kind of a mess.”

Derek doesn’t quite know what do answer. The mood whiplash may have exhausted him out of what was left of his mental energy for the day.

“Can you just not tell anyone else about it? I don’t want that to become the talk of the class.”

Tyler reprises his signature smile, much to his relief.

“I gotcha. I’ll bring the secret to my tomb, chief.”

He gets almost dizzy from how suddenly the stress he’s accumulated until now leaves his mind and body. Truly, his chest must have lost half of its mass in one fell swoop. He now feels comfortable enough to put his hands in his pockets inside of over his insecurities, that’s progress alright.

“Good. Thanks a lot, Tyler.”

“You’re welcome! Friends are meant to keep each other’s secrets anyway.”

Now, all he had to do is believe the one person that keeps coming to his aid whenever he feels swamped by the mighty papers they all face. That shouldn’t be too difficult.

“You’re not wrong.”

They walk up to the bus stop in peace, resuming their conversation on med school as the day comes to a close.


End file.
